Word: lukewarm (adjective)

Associations

"Lukewarm" describes something that is moderately warm, not hot or cold. It is often used for liquids but can also refer to attitudes or feelings that are indifferent or half-hearted.

• Example 1: "The coffee was lukewarm, so I decided to heat it up." Here, ‘lukewarm’ describes the temperature of the coffee as not hot enough.
• Example 2: "His lukewarm response to the proposal made me question his interest." In this example, ‘lukewarm’ refers to a lack of enthusiasm or strong opinion.
• Example 3: "The water in the bath was lukewarm, which was not relaxing at all." This shows how ‘lukewarm’ indicates the water is not hot enough for a comforting bath.

The synonym "tepid" is similar, but "tepid" is often used for liquids specifically, while "lukewarm" can also describe feelings or attitudes.

2. Substitution You can use "tepid" instead of "lukewarm" when talking about temperature, especially liquids. For example, instead of saying "I like my tea lukewarm," you might say "I like my tea tepid." Other alternatives can include "warmish" or "moderately warm," but these don’t carry the same nuance of being just below the desired heat. For example, saying "The soup was warmish" does not imply it is less appealing, like "lukewarm" often does when describing food or drink.